Under My Spell
by acciothedemigod
Summary: AU.Hermione auditions for Hogwarts, School of the Arts' variety show. Schemes start brewing. Faces in the crowd could be a friend or an enemy. Choose carefully, or maybe wait for your dark knight to save you. Let the auditions begin! Full summary inside.


**Author's Note: **A new story from moi. It's inspired by several songs and a few music-related movies or series. I may pattern it to them, so I am warning you now so that you won't blame me.

**Setting: **AU. The characters will all be non-magical. BUT, do not fret, my dears. There will still be magic, of course! Just you wait, and you'll see (or read, rather). 1996. Places such as Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade and Hogwarts will still be the places although I will put my twist in them, or something of that sort.

**Brief Summary: **Welcome to Hogwarts, School of the Arts. A place where young talents are honed to become the best the Arts can present. A new wind stirs the school as Hermione Granger, a transferee, auditions for the school's biggest variety show yet. The Queen Bee and her hive feel threatened, so schemes start brewing. Some faces in the crowd could be a friend, or worse, a deadly enemy. Choose carefully, or maybe wait for your dark knight to save you. Let the auditions begin!

**Pairings: **Dramione would be the main thing. Panon, and a complex love web could be formed too.

**Disclaimer: **Plot's mine. The rest belongs to our one and only Queen J. Credits to _psychoticphoenix _for being my beta. :)

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><p><strong>Under My Spell<strong>

**Act One: The Nutcracker**

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><p>The fallen leaves rustled on the pavement and the yellow daisies lining the window sills of the different shops in Diagon Alley swayed with the breeze as it blew through. The shadows started to lengthen as the sun neared the western horizon. Scents of freshly baked pastries wafted in the air as the baker put them on display outside his bakery. Bells rang as customers came in and out the stores. Amidst the bustling of the crowd, a young girl bumped into a boy of her age.<p>

"I'm sorry!" She said as she picked up her things that had fallen. The flaxen-haired boy helped her.

"It's all right. Let me help you with that." Draco said as he put all her stuff in the paper bag. He looked up at her as he was about to stand up, when his breath hitched a bit.

She was beautiful.

The girl was wearing a light blue polka dot Sunday dress that hugged all her curves in the right places, and bared her smooth arms and elegant neck; the few layers of tulle flared over her hips giving the dress a lighter feel. Her hair, which was plaited to the side, was chestnut in color and contrasted against her fair skin. Her face was her best feature, he thought. High cheekbones that complimented her hazel brown eyes paired with rosy Cupid's bow lips made her look even lovelier under the yellow-orange light that bathed her.

She smiled as she said, "Thank you." The girl reached for her paper bag. He noted her long beautiful fingers that looked soft and dainty. All her movements seemed graceful to him.

"Y-you're welcome." Draco said, managing to give her a half smile. _Damn_. He stuttered. _Way to go, you silly wanker._

"I'd better go." She finally said, waving a hand to him. "Good bye."

"Bye." He said, failing to notice that the girl had left her red bonnet on the ground. A man picked it up and gave it to him.

"Young lad, here, it belongs to that girl." he said as Draco took it.

Before the young Malfoy had the chance to say a word, the older man left, instantly blending in with the busy crowd. _What a strange afternoon_, he thought. The wind tousled his hair just before he entered _The Music Heirloom_, a music shop just beside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. The tiny door bells jangled as they announced his arrival.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy. What brings you here?" An elderly man spoke brightly behind the shelves. He peeked at the front door through the gaps in between the music sheets that were nearly falling from their line. He aligned them again and returned to the front desk, dusting off his trousers. "You seem to be in a good mood."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Ollivander." Draco Malfoy greeted the older man as he shook off his cloak and walked toward the coat rack. He grinned. "Quite. Have you got the collection I ordered last week?" He asked as he perused the new material in the Classical Section.

"The ones for _The Nutcracker_?" The flaxen-haired boy looked up and nodded. "They'll arrive tomorrow morning."

"Is that so? Well then, I'll be back again tomorrow." Draco said as he brought back a few CDs at the counter. "I'll be purchasing these."

The old man put on his glasses and peered at the artists' names closer. "Ah, Handel and Tchaikovsky? Excellent choices for training yourself. Are you auditioning for that upcoming musical at HSA?"

"No, Sir. Though, I'm afraid I have no choice but to participate." The young Malfoy said with a sigh. He rubbed his temples as he carried his parcel. Ollivander chuckled.

"With your talent, they'd be _begging_ for you to play." He noticed the clothing article Draco was holding. "Why is Mio's bonnet with you?"

Draco looked at the old man. "Excuse me?"

"That red bonnet that you're holding," The man pointed to the fabric in the boy's hand. "It's Mio's. She just left."

"Oh, that girl in the polka dot dress?" The blonde asked as he lifted the bonnet to take a closer look at it. It had a tiny rose-tinted bow on it. "Mio." He murmured. _So that's her name._

"Yes. That barmy kid's quite a good pianist too, like you." Ollivander said, exiting the counter to come up to the elegant black grand piano sitting on the corner by the huge glass window. His fingers skimmed the black and white keys as he reminisced the times when he could still play it. "She played a few pieces just now."

Draco observed the old man. He looked quite…morose, albeit you don't notice it much since his back was facing him. It was evident in his aura though. He never told Draco his story, but the younger boy knew that he was a pianist before. Merlin's notes, he's ancient. His mother knew Mr. Ollivander when she was still a child. She says that he is one fantastic musician. Of course, this captured Draco's interest. He wonders exactly how good this person is. Judging by the distant look in his eyes, and the spark that he sometimes sees in them, he could tell that is in love with the piano as much as he is. He approached the love of their lives, and put his parcel on top of it. "I see. May I ask what she played for you?"

Ollivander chuckled as he turned around. He could tell that the boy was intrigued of the girl's skills. _It would be interesting to see these two kids play together. _"Oh, the usual. Would you like to give it a go?"

"Of course." Draco smiled. He already knew the sequence the old man preferred. Having played 'the usual' quite a handful of times already, he had it memorized by heart.

He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. He sat down and ghosted his hands over the keys, going over the music sheet in his head, before he started playing a soft tune. It was Chopin's Etude No. 3 Opus 10. He saw the former pianist close his eyes and listen to him, smiling as he slightly swayed in time with the beat of the classical piece. The melody progressed to its climax and ended with a string of beautiful notes.

Draco's first love will always be classical music. Born into a family of prestigious musicians, it was inevitable that he would become one someday. At an early age, he was already exposed to the world of classical music. Refined, elegant, soft…some were fast-paced or mellow; he appreciated and loved them all the same. Seeing his huge interest in these pieces, his parents enthusiastically taught him the basics in playing musical instruments, especially the piano.

His mother and piano teacher, Narcissa Malfoy, is a distinguished pianist. She is a musical prodigy. Perfecting complex pieces and being at par with all her mentors' skills (at times even surpassing them), she finished the piano course at the age of twelve. During her schooling at HSA, she taught the other students in the same instrument major. She has performed in countless concerts, galas and was even invited to be a guest performer by international orchestras. Apart from being a talented woman, she is also beautiful. She was pursued by countless men, but she chose Lucius Malfoy over them all.

Being one of the three most outstanding cellists of their generation, Lucius Malfoy wasn't someone to be ignored. His brilliance in the field of strings has brought him recognition in many areas where music is concerned. He and Narcissa had performed together in one of the charity galas in Paris during their twenties; both were guest performers. People would say that they only got together for the fame, but the pair knew that it was love. Their mutual love for music fueled their feelings for each other.

Draco smiled to himself as he mused over the story on how his parents met. It was funny really, considering that he was playing _Salut D'Amour _now, and in his mind, his mother was telling him about the time when his father had proposed to her. This was their song.

The flaxen-haired boy finished playing a few more requested pieces from the old man. Ollivander applauded him.

"That was very good. It was better than all of the times that you played it before summed up." The old man told him as he patted Draco on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Sir."

"You felt something, didn't you?"

"Yes." The young Malfoy said as he stood up to gather his things. "I felt happy."

Ollivander gave him a knowing smile. "You must play like that more often. It'd do you wonders, I assure you. Now you must get going before the night turns in."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you again. Have a good evening." Draco said, and then he handed the old man the red bonnet. "I think you should give this to her. She might be looking for it."

"Ah, yes. Thank you, young man. It was nice hearing you play again." The older man said, taking his place behind the counter. He gave him a salute as Draco took off.

Just before the door closed, Draco couldn't have heard him wrong. It made him stop in his tracks and made his heart skip a bit.

"Mio comes here to play during Fridays."

He has free time during Fridays.

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><p>"I know it's here." Hermione said as she removed all the contents of her paper bag, and placed them on her bed. Her favorite bonnet was missing. She turned over all her things. Nothing. It wasn't there, that she knew. She fiddled with the hem of her polka dotted dress as she huffed and got up, walking over to the mirror.<p>

It occupied one whole wall of her room. Her reflection frowned at her when she stopped in front of it. She twirled the stray curl that fell down her face as she recalled where she might have dropped her bonnet. She still has nothing.

_This is day is so frustrating. First, I made a fool of myself in front of that boy earlier. _Hermione held on to the barre, recalling her brief encounter with the young man in Diagon Alley today. He had nice hands, she thought, remembering the way his long pale fingers moved as her gathered her things. Those were the perfect hands to play the piano with. She shook her head. _Ridiculous, I'm thinking of this now? _She loosened her braid. _Second, that red bonnet has gone missing. Third, they've run out of blueberry pies._ She looked at herself in front of the mirror and slowly lowered herself on the floor, doing a split. _Now, I still have to perfect my routine for the second screening. Ugh. What a life._

She started to dance as the music started. It was a part from one of the scenes from _The Nutcracker_, particularly the Grand Pas de Deux. Hermione glided above the dance floor with ease and grace. Every step was calculated and executed with finesse. Doing a series of complex twists and pirouettes, she finally finished the routine with a dramatic pose. She took a slow peek at herself in the mirror, assessing how convincing she looked. Satisfied with the results, she automatically relaxed and let herself lie down on the dance floor a bit. She rolled over when she heard her phone ring.

Hermione got up and retied her hair as she pressed the answer button. She didn't bother looking at the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Hermione!" Ginny Weasley's voice was heard at the other line. The redhead sounded overly excited. Hermione could almost imagine her jumping up and down as the other was catching her breath every now and then.

"Yes, hello to you too, you jumping fool." The curly-haired brunette said as she sat down on the edge of her bed, beside her things that were strewn all over her duvet.

"How do you know that I'm jumping?" Ginny asked. Hermione laughed.

"You're quite breathless you see. Anyway, what's the matter?"

Squeals were heard on the other line. If you would listen carefully, you could here a 'Stop it Fred!' or perhaps a 'Stop it George!' or maybe 'I'm not Fred!' in the background, but Hermione didn't because she was absorbed in moving her things over to see if her bonnet decided to appear. No, it didn't.

_Face it. You lost it._

"No I didn't!" Hermione said to herself, which Ginny heard over the line.

"What didn't you do?" The redhead asked. "Wait, wait! We're losing the topic. Sorry." She laughed. "I called to congratulate you!"

The ballerina raised a brow even if her friend cannot see it. "For what?"

"For passing the first screening, silly! Tomorrow's the next one, right?" Ginny asked as she panted. Hermione heard her smack one of the twins with a pillow saying 'Take that you prat'.

"Yes. It seems that you're having fun over there."

"Nooooooo. I'm leaving The Burrow. It's a warzone here." She said. The young girl screeched as Fred or George pulled another prank on her. It was obvious basing from the sounds Hermione could hear. "Sorry, Hermione, but see you tomorrow! I'll be there!" The older girl could almost see the awkward smile on her friend's face.

"It's fine. See you too, Ginny." She ended the call. The brunette giggled. "What an odd phone call."

Hermione rose up and sauntered over to her dresser, where her precious things stayed together. Picture frames, a few music boxes, figurines, trinkets and old Victorian keys cluttered the top. She smiled at them, remembering their little memories with her. She stooped down to look at all her figurines. There was a ballerina doing a pirouette, a fairy with her wand poised above her as if she was making a spell, an angel playing a harp, and a nutcracker wearing a crimson soldier uniform. They were all from her mother.

She let go of a breath she wasn't aware of holding when she picked up the Nutcracker. Hermione traced the details of the little man with a mustache. She gave it a sad smile.

"I'll be seeing you tomorrow, huh?"

It stared blankly at her.

_It's inanimate, Hermione. It won't talk to you._ Her inner self told her.

"I know." _I'm just trying to remember how it felt like watching mum dance it before._

_You're as good as her. You can do it! Have faith._

Hermione smiled. She put the nutcracker down and instead reached for a certain picture frame that was sitting behind her key collection. It was the picture of a beautiful woman that had her arms around a little girl that looked exactly like her. They both had hazel brown eyes that were framed by long eyelashes and they both had curly hair; the only difference was that the older woman had a bit of make up on her face and her hair was tied messily and rested on her shoulder. The woman smiled at the camera while the little girl made a funny face.

A teardrop fell on the glass protecting the cherished picture. She was tearing up before she knew it, but she stopped herself. Hermione hugged the frame as she brushed off the dampness on her face. _No, you have to be strong. You have to do this to make mum proud._

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. She straightened her back and squared her shoulders. She tipped her chin up and put on her confident look, like what her mother told her to do when she is about to perform for a big event.

"I am Hermione Jean Granger, and I've got you under my spell."

_Let the show begin._

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><p><strong>AN: **Feed backs are appreciated :)

PS: Charlie Wood Chapter 2 would be out in a few days.


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